The present invention relates to an improved armrest for a chair that is horizontally and vertically adjustable. More particularly, the present invention is directed to an adjustable armrest that is horizontally extendable, pivotable in a horizontal plane, and vertically adjustable via a control and pneumatic piston.
Chairs have been designed and manufactured in various ways to meet the many needs of consumers and to suit numerous different settings and situations. There are many different categories of chairs including rocking chairs, office chairs, swivel chairs, folding chairs, lawn chairs, etc. One main goal in chair design and manufacture is comfort for a user. An armrest is of utmost importance in a user's determination of the comfort level of a chair. Generally, armrests are in fixed positions relative to the seating portion of the chair, which can cause discomfort and other problems for users that do not fit the fixed position of the chair and armrest.
In an office environment, where workers often are seated at a desk and working with computers or other electronic systems for extended periods of time, a well designed office chair can maximize comfort and efficiency. More specifically, an adjustable armrest on such an office chair can be of great importance to a worker who is performing a variety of computer related functions, such as typing, scrolling and moving a mouse, sorting through paperwork, or performing other typical office tasks. A versatile arm rest can make such tasks easier and can cut down on worker fatigue and discomfort.
While office chairs in the prior art have been designed and constructed to include adjustable armrests, such armrests are often limited in their adjustability, and the means to achieve the adjustments are not ideal. For instance, some prior art armrests have only one or two methods of adjustment, such as vertical or pivotal adjustability. These armrests lack additional modes of adjustment that can further maximize worker efficiency and comfort. Additionally, the mechanisms for adjusting the armrest can be limiting. For instance, the vertical adjustability of an armrest can be limited to only a number of pre-selected vertical positions at which the armrest locks into place. Additionally, some prior art armrests include a horizontal member that can slide horizontally; however, in existing designs, the entirety of the horizontal member is slid to another position. Such a design does not adjust the armrest in such a way as to accommodate users with different size forearms, as the length of the armrest does not change.
In light of the above limitations inherent to current armrest designs, a need exists for an armrest that covers all needed modes of adjustment that a user might desire in an office or other setting and convenient mechanisms for implementing these adjustments. It would therefore be desirable to have a system and method capable of achieving greater armrest adjustability with improved mechanisms for making adjustments to the armrest position.